COLD❄BLOOD/Incubus Eyes/Checkmate
Checkmate is the second episode of the Japanese anime Incubus Eyes, written by lead writer Athena Panacea. In this episode, Silver Zin accepts a challenge from army general Scotch Caramel to best him in a single match of chess at Oyster Moore's tavern. Scotch's reckless confidence in the belief that his experience and skills will teach Silver his place aboard the satellite quickly ensues in chaos at the tavern, much to Oyster's displeasure. This episode debuts many Zaxiverse commoners. Transcript The story begins with Silver Zin snoring noisily on his queen-sized bed, a newspaper over his face as a sleepy Pierce Hazel lays near him. A sudden ringing sound from Silver's alarm clock shakes them both up, with their hair each standing on end. Silver scrambles over the bed like a cheetah to make the alarm clock snooze. :Pierce: Goddd... yawns I hate waking up early... why'd you set the alarm clock for this time, Silv? :Silver: Mmmm, Val told me on Risquord to keep my eyes peeled for a letter from a "special someone". grins to his partner Might as well check, right? :Pierce: Did she really tell you to get up this early for it?? planting his hand on his forehead Okay, but when you're done getting the mail, you're coming right back to bed. You hear? :Silver: snickers What're you, my mom? Pierce rolls his eyes as Silver quickly (and sloppily) dresses himself in a white bathrobe, running through his cluttered and unorganized underground home and running out of Pierce's sight. :Pierce: Hmph. laying back down Hopefully it's not a super urgent letter. Maybe I can get my beauty sleep before I have to get up today... Pierce yawns as he begins to tweak the clock to wake him up at his preferred time of 10AM when Silver suddenly comes back in, holding up an envelope with what appears to be army camouflage colors on it. :Pierce: Holy shit, that didn't take much time at all. a little Proud of you, Silver. Only how did you get that letter so damn fast? I didn't even hear the elevator run. :Silver: Eh, you know our mailman Frink. out a little chuckle, ripping the letter from the envelope He's learned to throw envelopes at such an angle that they slide right into our chimney, which he knows we never use. :Pierce: That makes no sense, but I'm willing to believe it. looks at him Well? What's the news? Silver unfolds the camouflage-colored letter. He can hardly read the red text on it, but tried his best to look over it. He murmured whatever was on it to himself and then throws the letter to the side. :Silver: Oh, it's that butterscotch cookie guy. :Pierce: What in the world does he want? :Silver: He wants to challenge me at chess at the Moore Lounge, for some inexplicable reason. on his standard clothes as Pierce grumbles Yeah, yeah, I wanna go sleepy-bye too, but I'd rather not have him think I'm a chicken. I'm a rooster, I make people wake the fuck up when I'm around. :Pierce: Fiiiine... turning himself over on the bed I'm not coming with you, though. Good luck conquering him in chess, that's some tough shit you're going to have to endure on your own. Silver smirks as he brushes out his hair, looking at Pierce with pleading eyes. :Silver: C'mon babe... a little Don't you want to spend some quality time around your incubusss... Pierce looked hesitant, then grumbled as he started to lazily throw on his casual and rather bland clothes. :Pierce: Fine, but as long as you don't do anything stupid. at him seriously Remember that Takis heist you pulled off? Rather, the many you attempted? I don't want to see you in prison today, you just got out. :Silver: I promise I'll be good. his fingers behind his back, snickering You know I will. :Pierce: ... an eyebrow Promise? :Silver: Pinky promise! A thought bubble shows above Silver's head, showing that he was actually plotting to rob Scotch of his wallet and swap Scotch's ID with his own, just to embarrass him publicly. Pierce then leaps in to hug his boyfriend, popping the thought bubble and snuggling around him. :Pierce: I'll get my wheelchair, you can grab your Mind Weaver weapon or whatever in case anything goes wrong. off What music do you wanna listen to on the way there? Fleetwood Mac? :Silver: Fleetwood Mac's for boomers and snoozers, we know the only real valid band out there is Nickelback. air guitar You're beside me on the seat, got your hand between my knees and you control how fast we go b- :Pierce: Okay, that's enough, shut up. his head as he gets out his wheelchair Do you want to listen to the Killers instead? :Silver: The Killers are also for boomers and snoozers. as he grabs his Mind Weaver from the corner of the bedroom Okay, fine, I'll be serious. You wanna listen to Pearl Jam? :Pierce: Now that's more like it. :Silver: Good. his weapon in his hand Are you ready babe? :Pierce: I suppose. yawns I wish I got more sleep, though... :Silver: It's fine, you're allowed to fall asleep if Scotch drones on and on about his mediocre backstory. his cheek C'mon, let's go! Silver grins as he pushes his boyfriend to the elevator, grabbing a copy of Pearl Jam's "Ten" off his music bookshelf on the way there. As they go up the elevator, the scene switches to the Moore Lounge in New Naxaz City. ---- Meanwhile, Scotch was sitting by himself at a medium-sized table in the Moore Lounge, an old treasure chest resting on his lap. He grumbled as he checked his watch, realizing that Silver was late. Annoyed, he sipped at his gaia latte while waitress and restaurant owner Oyster Moore stood nearby, glancing at her guest. :Scotch: his breath God damn it Silver, you're five minutes late. Where's your dignity? :Oyster: D-Do you need anything else from me this morning, Scotch? :Scotch: No, my issue has nothing to do with you. around in his chair, facing the short waitress I'm waiting for someone to join me at this table and they're taking forever to arrive. Oyster gently takes Scotch's mug, pouring another gaia latte into it. :Oyster: Oh, I'm sorry sir. I'm sure whoever they are, they'll arrive soon. M-Maybe they're just held up by something important? :Scotch: I guess. taking his mug back gently Thank you for the refill, Oyster. Sorry for troubling you. :Oyster: It's fine, sweetheart. off R-Ring the bell if you need my service. Scotch just nods as he waits for Silver to arrive. He was just about ready to sip at his latte when someone tapped him on the shoulder. When Scotch turns around, he sees the redhead college girl Sinicini before him. :Sinicini: Hey Scotch, is this a bad time? :Scotch: That would depend on what you're about to tell me. :Sinicini: I was just wondering if you would like to come sit at our table, you look lonely over here. at her wannabe cop boyfriend and her cybernetic girlfriend We could use some extra company. :Scotch: If your table's big enough for me, I'll be happy to come on over. gets up, his treasure chest under his armpit Where is it? :Sinicini: In the back... it should be able to seat you, me, Zonas, Adexene, and a whole bunch of other people. :Scotch: Cool, let me leave a note first. Scotch scribbles a note, leaves it on the table, and heads off with Sinicini to their table. ---- Roughly five more minutes pass before a black space pod with red lightning bolt decors shows up, with Silver and Pierce stepping out from it. Silver loads Pierce up in his wheelchair and pushes him inside of the tavern. They discover a note on the table Scotch asked them to come to. :Silver: Hmmm... note reads "Silver, I'm in the back with some nice people- Get your scrawny build over here right now". Phh, can he act like a real gentleman to me for once in his life? :Pierce: I mean, you are scrawny, but you're still beautiful. as Silver cracks a grin We shouldn't keep him waiting any longer, let's go to the back before he decides to kill us for being tardy. Silver nods, pushing Pierce down the main hall until they reach Scotch's table. There, he's sitting with Sinicini, her wannabe cop boyfriend Zonas, her cybernetic girlfriend Adexene, and a really drunk-looking Nature Warrior. The poly group were feasting on some salmon tacos when Silver approached them, his boyfriend in tow. :Scotch: You're late, Silver. :Silver: Hey, I had to help my boyfriend come here. his hand firm on Pierce's handlebars Act like a gentleman to me today, would you? :Scotch: Do you really think I'd stoop so low to be nice to a thief like yourself? a bit Sit down you little runt, I've been dying to pawn you in chess all night. :Silver: Well jeez, alright then... Silver sits down right across from Scotch, seating his boyfriend next to him. Scotch rings the bell, prompting Oyster to come over to the two new guests at Scotch's new table. :Oyster: Hello you two, what would you li- :Silver: Some mood tea and protein treats for us two, please! from ear to ear We have a long morning ahead of us! :Oyster: Jeez that was quick, hehe. their orders down I'll try to be as q-quick as I can be! As Oyster walks off, Scotch raises his treasure chest up from his lap, placing a chessboard in the middle of the table- leaving just barely enough room for everyone to comfortably eat. Silver looks astonished at how tattered and torn the board looks, and looks particularly intrigued by the bronze-painted chessmen, which Scotch begins to line up accordingly on the board. :Scotch: I'm going to teach you a lesson for being such an overconfident little bastard, Silver. at him These chess pieces are painted with lead. If you think you're so tough, we're going to be touching them with our bare hands. You'll have to think fast against me, or you're going to be in for a long night. :Silver: I think you might just be a little overconfident yourself, sweetie. rubbing his hands together Fine, fine, we'll play your silly little game. But I really don't think you know what you're up against. :Scotch: I've encountered scrawny little boys just like you that tried to sign themselves up for the military. his hands together as well They couldn't do jackshit like real men could. And as you're just as naive as they are, I'm going to teach you a lesson. :Silver: You do realize you're coming off as hypocritical, right Butterscotchy? his forked tongue out I've hardly been here for five minutes and all you're doing is publicly boosting your ego. How about show, not tell? Scotch looked a bit angry for a moment, before he realized that Silver was right. How could he be so foolish to let Silver make a point? He finishes placing down the chess pieces as Zonas turns to his girlfriends. :Zonas: This feud's gonna get red-hot, gals. up a glass of rattlesnake wine Here's to the hilarity that's going to ensue. Both girls giggle as they clink glasses with Zonas, with Scotch glaring at them from the corner of his eye before turning his attention back to Silver. Pierce had fallen asleep next to Silver, too tired to really participate. :Scotch: As you can clearly see, we have only a matter of time before we poison ourselves with these lead chess pieces, so you have to spend less time talking and more time focusing. his arms It takes strategy to overcome me... if you think you're that much better than me, why not prov- :Silver: Shut the fuck up and make your first move already. his tongue out Less talking, more playing! Scotch looked visibly pissed at Silver's retort, but he complied by moving his white-capped pawn forward. Silver snickered as he moved his first one out too. Zonas clicked a timer, counting the seconds that pass by in the game. :Sinicini: Uhhh... to Adexene Doesn't lead poisoning take years if not months to actually take effect? :Adexene: That is correct. flashing her eyes green It would be near impossible for them to receive serious lead poisoning within such a short time. It is still unwise to play with lead, nonetheless. :Sinicini: Someone didn't take their science class... Scotch continues ignoring them as he continues his game of chess with Silver. Silver's already lost three of his pawns and a knight, while Scotch hasn't lost anything and remains well in the lead. Yet, the incubus doesn't look the slightest frustrated- he's smiling. :Scotch: Do you feel overwhelmed yet, Silver? :Silver: Oh no, how about you? Scotch growled a little bit as he returned his eyes to the game, capturing another one of Silver's pawns. :Scotch: You're just throwing away your pawns like they're disposable heroes... you'd be a terrible leader, Silver. a little bit, seeing Silver do it again Do you know how to play chess, Silver Zin? :Silver: Do you, Scotch? :Scotch: Of course I do, chess is a large part of why I'm such a great tactician. a fist down against the table, rattling everyone's plates on his end Bold of you to ask that to someone who's already whipping your ass not even five minutes in. :Silver: Shut up and get your head back in the game. Scotch grumbles but continues to comply. Oyster comes back over, holding a tray with Silver and Pierce's orders on it. :Oyster: H-Here's the mood tea and protein treats you two ordered. placing it down Bon appetit! Silver smiles and takes a big bite out of his breakfast, quickly moving his last pawn forward. It gets captured, too. :Scotch: You haven't captured a single piece of mine yet, but I've already taken all of your pawns. folding his arms You're really no fun Silver, but I'm starting to really get a grasp on just how stupid you really are. :Silver: If I were you, I would be choosing what words to say much more wisely. Scotch continues to play competitively against the more casually-oriented Silver as the Trayd trio watches with great anticipation. Even Oyster is watching them play from the kitchen window. Some heads were turned in their way- including Valerie's and her bodyguard's. :Valerie: Kick his ass, Silver! :Brook: Kick him baby! :Valerie: Kick his ass way harder than Brook wants you to kick it! Zonas sighs as he turns to his girlfriends. :Zonas: I don't like the looks of this. :Sinicini: Why not? on Zonas' cheek I think it's funny as shit they're getting so competitive! :Zonas: I mean, sure, but last time there was crowd chanting like this it was when they were noticing me arguing with the chief of police. :Sinicini: How'd it go? :Zonas: They should really revoke his n-word pass. :Adexene: Everything will be fine, I would not anticipate this restaurant burning down at the hands of General Butterscotch Cornbread Caramel, A.K.A. General Scotch. :Zonas: I suppose. flashing his badge I suppose I can arrest them if something goes wrong. Oyster and her husband/employee Snickers watch from the kitchen. :Oyster: D-Do you think everything between S-Silver and your brother will b-be alright? :Snickers: Baby, I advise we get the fuck out of here because I would absolutely anticipate this restaurant burning down at the hands of Butterscotch Cornbread Caramel, A.K.A. Hotheaded Loser. :Oyster: Give me the s-strongest drink we h-have and I'll f-follow you out. Back at the game, Scotch had managed to capture most of Silver's chesspieces. Silver didn't look the slightest frustrated, while Scotch was increasingly becoming more and more overconfident. :Scotch: Do you want to surrender now, Silver? :Silver: Men don't give up, Scotch. :Scotch: You're not a man, Silver. You couldn't be, not in a million years. :Silver: As if I really care whether I'm a man or not. sneers You take too much pride in your own image. :Scotch: Maybe you take too much pride in your own image! Admit it, Silver! :Silver: When did I ever deny I took too much pride in my image? to him Whatever, I have a lot of pride. Why pretend to be someone I'm not? You might as well admit who you really are too... a testosterone-guzzling old geezer! Scotch looked really insulted at that comment, especially so as he could hear Sinicini and Valerie attempting to stifle their laughter. At that point in the game, Silver only had his king, a knight, a bishop, and both rooks. Recovery looked to be improbable for him, while Scotch only lost a single pawn. Scotch shook off his angry expression and smirked at Silver. Oh no, thought Silver. He really is taking this game of chess way too personally. :Silver: Huh, you really have taken a lot of my chess pieces. grins Good job, Scotch. You really do have a lot of skill, but I think there's something you're missing in your skillset. :Scotch: As if I should listen to you, a scrawny brat that's already lost almost all of their pieces. :Silver: Suit yourself. As if by magic, Silver began to display an edge he hadn't shown prior. Keeping his rooks in the back to crush any pawns that come too close to his end of the battlefield, Silver begins to slowly assassinate Scotch's more able pieces, already crushing both of his knights and bishops in just a few rounds. In less than a dozen turns, Scotch found himself playing more frantically, with every turn resulting in a loss of one of his pieces. Zonas, Sinicini, and even Adexene looked stunned, with Valerie cupping her mouth. :Scotch: W-what the hell is going on? over the board How the hell did you already take most of my pieces? :Silver: It's easy, you spent too much time gloating that you didn't notice how I was strategizing to wait for the very moment you would keep your eyes off my pieces' movements. smirks I sent my pieces in like fireships to distract you and make you undermine my intelligence, and kept some of my more powerful pieces to crush your troops the moment your IQ drop became apparent to me. Valerie and the Trayd gang clapped noisily for Silver, followed by a round of applause from around the restaurant. :Silver: I appreciate the enthusiasm, but let's not feed my ego. at Scotch Tsk tsk. :Scotch: Hnnnngg! annoyed You got rid of your queen, you didn't keep the most powerful ones! :Silver: Maybe so, but I intentionally sent my queen in as a fireship because I really wanted to see how you'd react. I was wondering if you would catch onto my strategy, but you kept gloating about your supposed superiority to me instead. capturing his queen And that was your queen. You only have two pieces left- that pawn you never moved and the king. :Scotch: You're such a bastard, I hate you for tricking me. :Silver: Hey, you can blame yourself for being a shitty chess player! even wider And for being a poor sport competitively. You know why I tease you so much? Because you're just no fun, you keep thinking you got it so tough and you keep saying people should socialize with you more but nobody wants to hang out with you because you're just a dick. Get a grip on reality, bro. Scotch looked just about to pop when Silver finally cornered his king. :Silver: Checkmate. I'm going to message this epic victory to Ron Weasley. Because blimey Scotch, you were bad. Scotch was furious. Scotch gets up from the table, knocking it over and snapping awake Pierce, who falls to the floor. Silver scoops him up as Scotch kicks the table aside, with everyone scrambling away (the Gone trio fleeing outside) as the general stomps to Silver. :Scotch: That's the last straw, Silver Zin! his hand on his neck I won't let you humiliate me again after what happened today! Silver was unable to retort to that. Pierce looked panicked, trying to get up but being unable to pick his frail self off the floor. Several people, including Valerie, looked a little afraid to step in. :Scotch: I'm going to punch your lights out, I'm going to punch them out so hard that you won't be able to tell the difference between night or day ever again! him tight I'm going to take you down! I'm going to tak- t-take... you down... Scotch suddenly falls limp to the floor, dropping Silver from his grasp. Standing behind him was the Nature Warrior, who knocked him out with an anesthesia needle and then a hard strike from her fist. :Nature Warrior: That should take care of him for now. on the back of his neck And he's going to serve a bit of time for that little incident. This tavern is closed for the moment, please check back in tomorrow. I'll pay Moore for all the work she's done today on behalf of those who haven't paid for their meals yet. Go! Everyone scram! :Silver: Hey, thanks for saving my ass, really appre- :Nature Warrior: Go home before I arrest your scrawny ass again! Everyone flees the tavern quickly, leaving the Nature Warrior alone. She handcuffs Scotch. :Nature Warrior: You wait right there, I'm going to get Crymsia a few beers. ---- Back at home, Silver and Pierce are laying down in bed, down to their pajamas. A blonde lady could be seen sleeping next to them, under the covers. :Silver: Remind me to never play chess with that guy again. as he snuggles up to Pierce God, I know I can be cocky, but... :Pierce: No, you were reasonable Silver. at him I was surprised at how well you handled yourself there. I'm admittedly reluctant about touching you though, because you touched lead... :Silver: Eh, I wouldn't worry about it. sneers I have disease immunity because of my wonderful genetics, I just didn't tell Scotch because I didn't want to standing him any more unbearable. Silver and Pierce laugh it off as they snuggle in closer. :Pierce: Ah okay, that makes sense. Silver's cheek Let's get as much rest as we can honey, I feel like that's the only way we're going to make this day get any better. Silver nods sleepily. :Pierce: ...Hey, do you wanna hear a bad joke? :Silver: Uh, sure. :Pierce: So you know how I have to keep you in check, right? I'm your... check mate. Both of them try to stifle their laughter to Pierce's terrible joke. :Silver: You're so talented at so many things Pierce, but a comedian isn't one of them. sneers You're a rook-ie when it comes to jokes, Pierce. :Pierce: Shut up, queen. :Zellen: Mmm... sleepily Both of you zip it before I pawn someone's virginity... :Pierce: I have mixed feelings about that joke, Zellen. Soon enough, they all fall asleep after sharing one last small fit of laughter. THE END Other information Characters *Silver Zin *General Scotch (debut) *Pierce Hazel *Nature Warrior *Oyster Moore (debut) *Zonas B. Trayd (debut) *Sinicini Cina Mon (debut) *Adexene (debut) *Snickers Caramel (debut) *Valerie Heartgold (cameo) *Brook Arsen (debut; cameo) *Zellen Harley Quimbleson (debut; cameo) *Frink Blossom (mentioned) Settings *Stenographer Well #66, Stenographer Garden, New Naxaz City *The Moore Lounge, New Naxaz City Category:COLD❄BLOOD Category:Subpages